Monday, March 3, 2014

BLUEWATER CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Plymouth
Church

March
1

A meticulous conductor and gracious host.

A
double dose of Barber is not the usual cure for a case of cabin
fever. But it proved to be a bracing tonic at the BlueWater Chamber
Orchestra concert on Saturday night, especially with colorful
contributions from three effervescent soloists.

Conductor
Carlton Woods runs the BlueWater ensemble with fingertip control and
the easygoing manner of a talk show host, enthusing about the pieces
and cuing the audience on interesting sections and elements in the
music. The sound he delivers is light and pleasant, never too deep
but competent and often unabashedly emotional.

Which
made Barber’s Adagio for Strings (Op. 11) an ideal
selection. Its deceptively simple melody and minor-key pathos let
Woods set a measured tempo and develop a full, rich sound that nearly
gushed at times. The top end was bright, a tendency that ran through
the entire program, but in the Adagio it was grounded by a
solid bottom. And the lush texture of the strings was captivating.

That
turned out to be only a warm-up for Barber’s Capricorn Concerto
(Op. 21), the most interesting and well-played piece of the evening.
Though it’s structured like a Baroque concerto grosso, the
instrumentation and rhythms are distinctly 20th-century, as is the
combination of three soloists – in this case, flutist Sean Gabriel,
oboe player Martin Neubert and trumpet player Neil Mueller. They
represent three characters, whom the players gave distinctive,
entertaining voices, exchanging playful banter with each other and
the strings.

The
ensemble showed good technique in a variety of sounds and effects
that nicely framed the solos. Gabriel, Neubert and Mueller were sharp
in their interplay with the orchestra and smooth in tonal harmonies,
creating vivid colors as a trio or in combinations of two, especially
the flute and trumpet. There was a bit of an edge to the high
strings, but otherwise Woods put a professional polish on the sound,
carefully balancing the soloists and the ensemble while keeping
everything moving at a brisk, engaging pace.

The
evening got off to a shaky start with Elgar’s Introduction and
Allegro for String Quartet and Strings (Op. 47). The drama
promised in the opening lines proved to be underwhelming, and while
individual players had some gorgeous moments, the overall sound was
uneven, full-blooded at times, squishy at others. Woods showed a
graceful feel for the piece, but couldn’t quite pull it together.

Tchaikovsky’s
Serenade for Strings (Op. 48), which closed the concert.
seemed more his style. “Get up in the aisles and dance” Woods
urged the audience, then provided appropriate music, spinning out
whirling waltzes and lively variations on folk tunes. The sound was
thin in spots but the romantic sweep of the music was irresistible,
especially in the pulsing rhythms of the finale.

Above
and beyond the music, presentation counts, and in that respect the
BlueWater ensemble is a class act. Woods wears tails and the players
are dressed in formal black, like a symphony orchestra. The music is
accessible and the performances are audience-friendly, especially at
Plymouth Church, a welcoming facility with outstanding acoustics. On
Saturday, it felt like a group of friends and neighbors had gathered
around the musical hearth to enjoy a cozy respite from the winter
blues.

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QUICK TAKES

Mr. Culture is off to Europe to cover the Prague Spring Festival and promote his new book, Festival Europe.

The book is a hybrid travel and music guide, an overview of the summer music circuit in 14 European countries, with detailed listings for 60 of the best festivals.

Beethoven in Bonn, Bach in Leipzig, Mozart in Salzburg, Dvořák in Prague – it’s all here, along with links to English-language tourist sites.

If you’re thinking of visiting Europe this year, this is the way to go, hearing the world’s greatest music as you’ve never heard it before.

For more on the book, click on the image above.

See you at the castle. Or Roman amphitheater. Or high in the Alps, where the eagles soar to Schubert.

THE AUTHOR

Frank Kuznik is a longtime journalist and culture writer covering Northeast Ohio's vibrant arts and entertainment scene. Born and raised in Cleveland, Frank has worked extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, most recently in Prague as the Editor-in-chief and Culture Editor of The Prague Post. For a taste of the Prague music scene, see pragueculture.blogspot.com.